THIS DAY IN ROCK

July 22nd

2005: John Densmore won a permanent injunction to keep Robby Krieger & Ray Manzarek from touring under the name The Doors of the 21st Century.

1983: Dire Straits began a two night stand at London’s Hammersmith Odeon where they recorded & filmed their first live album & concert video Alchemy: Dire Straits Live which was released the following year.

1979: Little Richard, now known as Rev. Richard Penniman told a congregation in California “If God can save an old homosexual like me, he can save anybody.”

1978: Elvis Costello released his debut album My Aim Is True. The backing band was not The Attractions, instead it was Clover based out of California.

1972: The Who released “Join Together” which went on to reach number seventeen on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart.

1968: Elvis Presley began filming the movie Charro! in Arizona. This would be the only Presley movie where he sported a beard & didn’t sing on camera.

1967: Vanilla Fudge made their live debut at the Village Theatre in New York City on a bill with The Byrds.

1965: Mick Jagger, Brian Jones & Bill Wyman were fined 5 pounds each for urinating on the wall of a gas station in East Ham, England.

Birthdays:Rick Davies-keyboardist & singer for Supertramp born in 1944Don Henley born in 1947

July 23rd

2003: Sun Studios in Memphis was declared a national landmark by the U.S. National Registry of Historic Places.

1993: Nirvana played a surprise concert at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City showcasing material from their upcoming album In Utero.

1989: Ringo Starr kicked off his first solo tour with his All-Starr band in Dallas, TX, which featured Joe Walsh, Billy Preston, Clarence Clemons & Dr. John.

1988: Def Leppard reached number one of the Billboard 200 Album Chart for the first time with Hysteria. Hysteria went on to spend six non-consecutive weeks at number one & sell twenty million copies worldwide. They also peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart on this day with “Pour Some Sugar on Me”.

1983: The Police kicked off the North American leg of their tour in support of Synchronicity at Comiskey Park in Chicago.

1981: Billy Squier received his first Gold album for Don’t Say No his second solo album which went on to sell three million copies in the U.S.

1980: Former Grateful Dead keyboardist Keith Godchaux died from injuries sustained from a car accident. He was 32 years old.

1977: Foreigner released their second single “Cold as Ice” which went on to peak at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart.

1963: Neil Young participated in his first recording session at the CKRC-FM radio studios in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Birthdays:Blair Thornton-guitarist for Bachman-Turner Overdrive born in 1950Slash-guitarist for Guns N’ Roses born in 1965

July 24th

2003: Bob Dylan’s movie Masked and Anonymous opened in New York City. The movie also starred Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Penelope Cruz & Val Kilmer.

1999: Phil Collins married his third wife, Orianne Cevey in Switzerland. Some of the wedding guests included Eric Clapton, Elton John & Mark Knopfler. They would later divorce in 2007.

1993: U2 entered the Billboard 200 Album Chart at number one with Zooropa which was their fourth album to reach number one in the U.S. where it went on to sell two million copies.

1990: Judas Priest go to trial in Reno, NV as they were accused of planting subliminal messages in their album Stained Class which led two fans to attempt suicide. They would later be cleared of wrongdoing.

1978: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band the movie starring Peter Frampton & The Bee Gees opened in theaters. The film also included appearances by Aerosmith, Alice Cooper & Billy Preston. The film went on to be a commercial failure.

1977: Led Zeppelin performed their final concert in the U.S. at Alameda County Coliseum in Oakland. Rick Derringer & Judas Priest was the opening acts.

1976: Thin Lizzy peaked at number twelve on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart with “The Boys Are Back in Town”, their only top 40 single in the U.S.

1971: T. Rex reached the top of the U.K. Singles Chart for the first and only time with “Get It On” which spent four weeks at number one.

1967: Jefferson Airplane received their first Gold record for their second album Surrealistic Pillow.

2003: Iron Butterfly guitarist Erik Braunn died of a heart attack at the age of 52.

2001: The Doors’ drummer John Densmore & Bonnie Raitt among others were arrested in Itasca, IL for protesting against a company that is claimed to destroy rainforests.

1999: On the final day of Woodstock ’99 in Rome, NY, riots occurred during the closing set by the Red Hot Chili Peppers which resulted in 120 arrests.

1983: Metallica released their debut album Kill ‘Em All. It was recorded in 17 days & went on to peak at 120 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart nearly five years after its initial release & sell three million copies in the U.S.

1980: Kiss performed their first concert with new drummer Eric Carr at The Palladium in New York City.

1980: AC/DC released Back in Black which was their first album Brian Johnson as their lead singer. The album was dedicated to Bon Scott & has gone on to sell 50 million copies worldwide. To date it is the second highest selling album of all time.

1969: Neil Young appeared onstage with Crosby, Stills and Nash for the first time at the Fillmore East in New York City.

1965: Bob Dylan performed an electric set at The Newport Folk Festival in Newport, RI & was booed offstage & accused of being a sellout.

Birthdays:Manny Charlton-guitarist for Nazareth born in 1941Jim McCarty-drummer for The Yardbirds born in 1943Mark Clarke-bassist for Uriah Heep, Rainbow & Mountain born in 1950

July 26th

2006: Ric Ocasek made his second appearance on The Colbert Report where he volunteered to lead a commando mission to “rescue” Stephen Jr., the baby eagle at the San Francisco Zoo named after Stephen Colbert.

2004: A Staples back-to-school campaign commercial starring Alice Cooper humorously utilizing Cooper’s “School’s Out” premiered nationally. The commercial depicted Cooper in the role of a father shopping for back-to-school supplies with his daughter who is unhappy about returning to school.

2003: Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain was arrested before their concert in Wantagh, NY after allegedly running over a parking attendant in his 2004 Jaguar. McBrain was issued a ticket & released in time to make the concert.

1986: Peter Gabriel reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart for the first and only time with “Sledgehammer” which spent one week at number one. Gabriel also peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 Album Chart with So which spent three weeks at number two.

1977: Robert Plant’s son Karac died of an unidentified viral infection. Led Zeppelin’s tour of North America was immediately cancelled.

1977: Elvis Costello was arrested for playing outside of a CBS Records conference being held at the Hilton in London. Soon afterwards Costello would be signed to CBS.

1976: Ted Nugent received his first Gold album for his self-titled debut album released the previous year. It later went on to sell two million copies in the U.S.

1970: Jimi Hendrix performed in his hometown of Seattle for the last time at Sicks Stadium. He reminded the audience how disappointed he was that he had to go to the U.K. to make it in the music business before his home country accepted him.

Birthdays:Mick Jagger born in 1943Roger Taylor-drummer for Queen born in 1949Gary Cherone-singer for Extreme and Van Halen born in 1961